If you’ve never had a kitchen fitted before, the process can feel like a black box. You get a quote, you pick your doors and worktop, and then… what? How many days does it actually take? Who shows up on-site, and in what order? What happens if your walls aren’t as straight as they looked?

We’ve fitted kitchens across Dublin for years — from two-up-two-down terraces in Drumcondra to new builds in Lucan — and the honest answer is that a well-run installation is boring in the best possible way. No surprises, no drama, no six-week job that was supposed to take ten days. This guide walks you through exactly what should happen, in order, so you know what to expect and what to ask before you sign off on any quote.

1. The Site Survey and Template

Before a single carcass is built, someone needs to stand in your actual kitchen with a laser measure. This is non-negotiable — quotes based on rough dimensions from a phone call or a floor plan you emailed over are how you end up with a worktop that’s 8mm short at the sink run.

A proper site survey covers wall straightness (Irish period homes especially are rarely square), floor level, the position of existing plumbing and electrical points, ceiling height for wall units, and door/window swing clearance. For the worktop specifically, templating usually happens after the cabinets are installed, not before — the template picks up the real-world gaps and cabinet positions rather than a theoretical layout.

2. Who Actually Turns Up to Fit Your Kitchen

A full kitchen installation isn’t one person’s job. Depending on the scope, your project will typically involve:

• A lead fitter / installation team — builds and installs the carcasses, hangs doors, fits worktops and handles the general joinery.
• A registered electrician — for any new sockets, under-cabinet lighting, or moving the cooker/oven circuit. In Ireland, electrical work should be carried out by a Safe Electric registered contractor so it’s properly certified.
• A registered gas installer — if you’re moving or connecting a gas hob or gas cooker point, this must be done by an RGII registered gas installer. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
• A plumber — for sink, dishwasher and boiler-related plumbing moves.
• A tiler and/or plasterer — if the splashback area or walls need finishing after the old kitchen comes out.

A good installation company either directly employs or has long-standing relationships with all of the above, so you’re not left trying to coordinate five different tradespeople’s diaries yourself.

Book a free kitchen design consultation and let our team help you plan your installation from start to finish.

3. A Realistic Installation Timeline

Timelines vary with kitchen size and how much of the existing space needs to change, but here’s what’s realistic for the two most common scenarios in Dublin homes.

One thing that catches people out: the worktop itself often has a separate lead time. Solid surface and stone-effect laminate worktops are usually templated after the cabinets go in and then fabricated off-site, which can add 5–10 working days between “cabinets installed” and “kitchen fully usable.” A good fitter will tell you this upfront rather than let you assume the whole job finishes in one continuous week.

4. Day-by-Day: What Happens on Site

Using a typical 5-day like-for-like installation as an example:

1. Day 1 — Strip-out and first fix: old units removed, appliances disconnected, electrician and plumber move or cap off supplies as needed.
2. Day 2 — Carcass build: base units are levelled and fixed first (this is where an unlevel floor gets corrected), then wall units are hung.
3. Day 3 — Worktop template + appliance integration: once carcasses are square and fixed, the worktop is templated. Integrated appliances (oven, hob, dishwasher) are fitted into their housings.
4. Day 4 — Worktop fit and second fix: the fabricated worktop is installed, sink and taps plumbed in, electrics second-fixed (sockets, switches, under-cabinet lighting).
5. Day 5 — Doors, handles, finishing and snagging: cabinet doors hung and aligned, handles fitted, silicone sealing around the sink and splashback, final clean and a walk-through snag list.

5. Electrics, Gas and Building Regulations in Ireland

This is the part people underestimate. Kitchens are one of the most heavily serviced rooms in an Irish home — water, gas, and multiple electrical circuits all meet in one space — and there are rules around who’s allowed to touch what.

Any new or altered electrical circuit should be completed by a Safe Electric registered electrician, who will issue a Completion Certificate. This matters for insurance and for resale — an uncertified rewire can become a real problem when you go to sell the house. Gas work is stricter again: only an RGII registered installer can legally connect a gas appliance in Ireland.

If your renovation involves removing a wall between the kitchen and another room, that’s a structural change and falls under Ireland’s Building Regulations Technical Guidance Documents — you’ll typically need an engineer to confirm whether the wall is load-bearing and specify a suitable lintel before any fitter should touch it. A reputable installer will flag this rather than “just take it out and see.”

6. The Mistakes That Turn a 10-Day Job Into a 6-Week Job

We see the same handful of issues cause almost every serious delay:

• Ordering appliances after the cabinets are templated. Every oven and hob has slightly different housing dimensions. If the cabinet is built to fit an appliance you haven’t actually bought yet, you’re gambling.
• Not checking the floor is level before quoting the worktop length. An out-of-level floor changes the plinth height and can shift where a worktop joint needs to fall.
• Choosing a solid surface or stone worktop without accounting for its separate lead time. This is the single most common cause of “the kitchen’s been sitting half-finished for two weeks.”
• Skipping the site survey and quoting from photos. Fine for a rough budget estimate, not fine for a firm order.
• Not confirming who’s doing the electrics and gas in writing. If it’s not explicitly in the quote, ask. Don’t assume it’s included.

“The single best predictor of a smooth install isn’t the size of the kitchen — it’s whether the appliances were chosen and confirmed before the cabinets were built.” — Kitchens4U installation team

7. The Snag List — Your Last Line of Defence

Before you sign off and pay the final balance, walk the kitchen with your fitter and check:

• Every door and drawer closes flush and aligns with its neighbours
• Worktop joints are tight, level, and properly sealed
• Silicone sealant around the sink and splashback is clean and continuous
• All integrated appliances open and close without catching on the door above or beside them
• Sockets and switches are tested and correctly positioned
• Plinths are fixed securely and consistent in height

Any decent fitter expects a snag list — it’s normal, not a sign something went wrong. What matters is whether they come back promptly to fix it.

8. Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Fitter

Before you commit to any Dublin kitchen fitter, ask:

• Will you carry out a physical site survey before I place a firm order?
• Is electrical and gas work included, and who specifically carries it out?
• What is the worktop lead time, separate from the cabinet installation date?
• Can I see photos or visit a previous installation nearby?
• What happens if a wall turns out not to be straight, or the floor isn’t level — is that extra cost communicated before work starts, or after?

If a company can’t answer these clearly before you’ve paid a deposit, that’s worth noting before you sign anything.

FAQ

Related Articles

• How Much Does a Fitted Kitchen Cost in Ireland?
• How Much Does a Kitchen Renovation Cost in Ireland?
• What to Know Before a Kitchen Renovation in Dublin
• The Complete Guide to Kitchen Renovation in Ireland

Ready to Start Your Kitchen Installation?

If you’re planning a new kitchen in Dublin and want a team who’ll survey your home properly before quoting, and manage the electrics, gas and joinery under one roof, book a free design consultation with Kitchens4U or get in touch with our Dublin team to talk through your space.

A well-run kitchen installation shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith. Ask the right questions upfront, understand the realistic timeline, and you’ll go into the project knowing exactly what to expect — and exactly who to hold accountable if it doesn’t go to plan.